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Lights Out San Francisco

M

madfresh

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 21, 2006
243
0
San Francisco, CA
Google users in the San Francisco Bay Area will notice today that we "turned the lights out" on the Google.com homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a citywide energy conservation event called Lights Out San Francisco.
On Saturday, October 20, 2007, Lights Out San Francisco invites the entire city of San Francisco to install one compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) and turn off all lights for one hour, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm PDT. According to estimates, turning the lights out in San Francisco for even one hour could save as much as 15 percent of the energy consumed on an average Saturday night.
Given our company's commitment to environmental awareness and energy efficiency, we strongly support the Lights Out campaign, and have darkened our homepage today to help spread awareness of what we hope will be a highly successful citywide event.

http://www.google.com/lightsoutsf/

googlemv2.jpg
 
Sydney was the first city to do this as far as I can remember, and I'm glad the idea is catching on.
LA is now also talking about trying to do the same thing and hopefully more cities will keep on doing it.

As far as installing fluorescent lights, I still can't do that because I can't afford to replace all the lights in my house with 6 dollar bulbs (yeah I know I'll get the investment back idea, but really, that's like saying the first electric cars would give you your investment back as well:rolleyes:). I think they need to lower their prices if they really want everyone to use them.
 
killerrobot said:
I think they need to lower their prices if they really want everyone to use them.
Click to expand...

The other day I picked up a CFL bulb from a display in the store without paying attention to the price, and when I got home and looked at the receipt, it was $1. Man, if I'd known that I would have bought a bunch! Naturally the display was gone next time I was there....

People just need to be more informed and think a little bit beyond the next 5 minutes: you pay $6 now, but you save about $40 over the next few years compared to a regular bulb. Your energy costs are lower and you buy a lot fewer bulbs. You don't have to replace all your bulbs at once: just buy a few at a time and replace the old bulbs when they burn out.

--Eric
 
California subsidizes fluorescent bulbs here so we can get them at the dollar store.
 
Eric5h5 said:
you pay $6 now, but you save about $40 over the next few years compared to a regular bulb. Your energy costs are lower and you buy a lot fewer bulbs.
Click to expand...

I have lived in this house for about 6 years. We replaced a bunch of bulbs in the first year (they were cheap ones when we moved in) with CFLs. Last week I finally had to replace one of them. I figure I have saved the cost of the bulbs already by not buying new ones all the time.

The only lights left are the ones in the light fixtures outside next to the garage door, but I think CFLs will look kinda funny there so i went with the clear flame ones.
 
Hmmm...I Googled from 8-9, and I never noticed a "lights out" page, and I live in the Bay Area:confused::confused::confused:

Dang it, I wanted to see the cool Google:mad: Oh well, I'll just have to go back to Control+Option+:apple:+8:p
 
Cool, we had a similar event here in Sweden some months ago.
Almost noone did turn their lights off :D
I guess it depends on that we're already use low-power lights almost everywhere and are recyclng every little piece of waste that we have. :) So everyone is thinking "Nah, I'm already doing so much, now it's China and Americas turn.". Which is true.. :p
 
23am said:
now it's China and Americas turn.". Which is true.. :p
Click to expand...

So true. I still can't understand the logic used to justify older light bulbs. We got rid of all of our old bulbs ~6/7 years ago when there was a power "crisis" in California.

We're not all a lost cause. Americans are starting to wake up and think about their effect on the environment...most of them just need more time. :eek:
 
Its great that San Fran is doing this (as are many other cities now). I hope my hometown Vancouver will start doing this soon. :D
 
Abstract said:
http://www.blackle.com/ ;)

Supposely, by making the screen black instead of white, you save energy because black pixels require less energy than white pixels. :)
Click to expand...

That's great. :)

Yeah I get the whole reduced power deal, but I'm a bit irked that my Google page didn't appear darkened, even though I'm around SF. Oh well, I'll have to use that little gem you linked to. :)
 
Roric said:
I have lived in this house for about 6 years. We replaced a bunch of bulbs in the first year (they were cheap ones when we moved in) with CFLs. Last week I finally had to replace one of them. I figure I have saved the cost of the bulbs already by not buying new ones all the time.

The only lights left are the ones in the light fixtures outside next to the garage door, but I think CFLs will look kinda funny there so i went with the clear flame ones.
Click to expand...

There you have a huge reason why I used CFLs. I do not have to change them as often. I am a lazy man. The saving are a very nice bonus along with the fact I do not have to change my light bulbs.

zap2 said:
But is that true for LCD screen? I know with CRT displays is was, but don't LCD display all colors the same way?
Click to expand...


Google has posted a study done and on CRT the average was about watts far cry from the claimed 15W which only applied to a 22in crt. On LCD the average I think was maybe .2 watts and on some it increased the power usage not decrease.

LCD technology color does not really effect power usages since almost all the power is pulled from the back lighting on the lcd screen which is on if the montior is on. LCD them selves pull next to no power. Look are our ditigal watchs that can go years with out needing a new battery. It because lcd themselves pull next to no power.
 
I'm in Canada and locally the High Schools are going from door to door handing out one CFL bulb to most households. They also have 'stations' set up at malls on Saturdays where they give them out as well. I think it is a great idea, considering one of these bulbs here costs about $12.
 
^^^Do you know if this is a government initiative, or sponsored somehow?


I know that these new lightbulbs are "given" away because the companies want to collect some sort of "carbon points" from the government. Once they give you the lightbulb, they need your name and address so that they get the carbon points from your address. They trade those points in for cash. That's what I heard, anyway.

In fact, they come to your home and install them for you in NSW (or at least I believe so). They'll replace every lightbulb with the new efficient ones if they can. Then they write down the number they have given you, ask for your name and address, and off they go with your points.
 
Abstract said:
http://www.blackle.com/ ;)

Supposely, by making the screen black instead of white, you save energy because black pixels require less energy than white pixels. :)
Click to expand...

Only applies to CRTs and Plasmas. LCDs are different. In an LCD, black is produced by blocking out light from the backlight, nothing is 'turned off' or 'reduced' to produce darker colours.
 
I work for a energy company and they always give away energy saving light bulbs, also sainburys was giving them away too...

Personall i don't like them, they take forever to 'warm up' to full brightness so when your in the bathroom you can't see.

The cheap ones aren'te dimmable so thats out for a lot of light fittings in our house, aparantly they use more carbon to make the things than older lightbulbs do in their lifetime.

p.s. look at all the plastic that goes into these energy savings bulbs, there's none on older ones, it's all re-usable materials.

Cheap energy saving bulbs don't actually last that long, sure the expensive phillips ones do.

The light looks ugly in fancy lighting arrangements.

They have their place but to cut out fillament bulbs all together is wrong.
 
garybUK said:
I work for a energy company and they always give away energy saving light bulbs, also sainburys was giving them away too...

Personall i don't like them, they take forever to 'warm up' to full brightness so when your in the bathroom you can't see.

The cheap ones aren'te dimmable so thats out for a lot of light fittings in our house, aparantly they use more carbon to make the things than older lightbulbs do in their lifetime.

p.s. look at all the plastic that goes into these energy savings bulbs, there's none on older ones, it's all re-usable materials.

Cheap energy saving bulbs don't actually last that long, sure the expensive phillips ones do.

The light looks ugly in fancy lighting arrangements.

They have their place but to cut out fillament bulbs all together is wrong.
Click to expand...

Plus they contain up to 6 mg of mercury each. Since most people will throw them in the garbage, that mercury will end up in our solid waste in landfills or incinerators and we will have to use additional energy to contain it or process it in various ways.

CFLs do reduce the amount of energy that a person consumes which is great for the consumer, but they are not the energy saving, environmental-friendly product that everyone makes them out to be.
 
garybUK said:
I work for a energy company and they always give away energy saving light bulbs, also sainburys was giving them away too...

Personall i don't like them, they take forever to 'warm up' to full brightness so when your in the bathroom you can't see.

The cheap ones aren'te dimmable so thats out for a lot of light fittings in our house, aparantly they use more carbon to make the things than older lightbulbs do in their lifetime.

p.s. look at all the plastic that goes into these energy savings bulbs, there's none on older ones, it's all re-usable materials.

Cheap energy saving bulbs don't actually last that long, sure the expensive phillips ones do.

The light looks ugly in fancy lighting arrangements.

They have their place but to cut out fillament bulbs all together is wrong.
Click to expand...


you know there are ways around that warm up time (which is a only a few sec) is put a few normal bulbs in with them so you get the instant light that you want then a few sec later full brightness.

Other advantage of CFL is you can put brighter bulb in the socket. For example if it says you can only put a 60W bulb in it that means you can easily put the 100 W equilant in there instant. I thin I did that to my bedroom. I like it right so I am using the 100w equvulents in the 60W sockets.
 
CFLs (and other florescent lights for that matter) may save energy, but they pollute far more than their incandescent counterparts. Florescent lights require mercury to function. Mercury is a very dangerous element, it can be easily absorbed by skin, and travel through the blood stream, pooling in the brain causing brain malfunction. On the other hand, there are no dangerous materials in an incandescent light bulb, aside from the solder used to attach the leads to the metal section (however since tin whiskers are not nearly as big of a deal in light bulbs as in electronics, the solder contains only trace amounts of lead).

There is a double-standard being used here. The EU's RoHS has caused many companies to stop using florescent bulbs in their LCD's for the backlight because of the high mercury content. However, there are far more CFLs being used than all the florescent backlights ever installed, making the danger from an LCD to be minimal.

It doesn't help the case for CFLs that they cannot even be manufactured in the US or Canada (and probably the EU as well). Nearly all the CFLs for sale in North America come from China or India, where they have few, if any environmental laws. Whereas most incandescent bulbs come from domestic sources, as they are simply glass, tungsten, copper, tin, and either nitrogen, argon, or krypton.

What you need to do, is go out and purchase some light bulbs made with LEDs. They are much brighter than either CFLs or Incandescent light, use much less power, and because they are LEDs, they rarely burn out. LEDs are relatively cheap to manufacture, and can be produced domestically.

Don't sacrifice the future of this planet for a few dollars a month in savings on your energy bill. If you want to prevent a power shortage..... BUILD MORE (EFFICIENT) POWER PLANTS!!!.

TEG
 
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